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Mass. veterans describe trouble finding work

BOSTON -- Brian Willette and his 21-year-old son Kevin share an uncommon honor: Both received a Purple Heart after being wounded in combat in Afghanistan.

In 2010, the senior Willette was traveling in a caravan hit by an improvised explosive device.

His son, serving in Afghanistan at the time, pinned the medal on his father's chest. A year later, Kevin Willette was hit by a grenade during a gun battle and he received a Purple Heart as well.

After receiving the military's oldest award, the younger Willette returned home to South Hadley to fight another battle -- finding a job.

Willette said it is frustrating to watch his son struggle to find work while recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Returning to work while still recovering from injuries is hard because many employers don't understand PTSD or are unwilling to give someone time off for medical appointments, he said before an annual veterans' luncheon held at the State House Wednesday.

"He needs work," Willette said. "These young vets, they need a break. Somebody's got to take a chance on him. He has experience, far more than most 21-year-olds."

Nationally, the unemployment rate for post 9/11 veterans is higher than other vets. The national jobless rate for those fighting wars since 2001 fell to 9.7 percent in September while the rate among other veterans dipped to 6.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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In December, the national unemployment rate increased slightly to 7 percent.

The state does not track the unemployment rate specifically for veterans, according to a spokesman for the Department of Veterans' Services.

With more than 385,000 veterans living in Massachusetts, including 37,000 men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2011, state lawmakers have tried to tackle some of the issues they face returning home, including unemployment and homelessness.

In May 2012, lawmakers passed the VALOR act, a law that seeks to expand job and education opportunities, assists veteran-owned small businesses, gives court administrators guidance when dealing with veterans, and increases eligibility for food, housing, utilities and medical service supports paid for through a fund financed by voluntary contributions made on income tax returns.

Speaker Robert DeLeo, who hosts the annual veterans lunch, said the VALOR act sent a "message to our veterans we know they are out there and we appreciate what they do for our country."

Others during the event talked about giving veterans preference for public sector jobs.

"There are a lot of initiatives you hear about, job fairs and things. And that's all good," Willette said. "But there needs to be more preference for veterans on jobs, especially public sector jobs."

Tom Lyons, the legislative agent for the Massachusetts Veterans' Service Officers Association, said there are many young men and women around the state being "passed over" for police and firefighter positions.

"We need to ensure any veteran who puts his or her life on the line for their country, and now wants to serve their community they should not be passed over," Lyons said in front of a group of lawmakers, including DeLeo, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, Treasurer Steven Grossman, and other state officials.

Kimberly Babin, director of veterans' services in Chicopee and a reservist at Westover Air Reserve Base, said jobs for veterans in her area are hard to come by because the area is "saturated" with service people looking for work. Those who are still serving find it the most difficult. Some employers hesitate to hire someone who could get deployed at any time.

"Sometimes they are not deployed just once. They are going three, four, four, five times," she said.

In his remarks, Murray echoed sentiments made by President Barack Obama, calling it a "moral imperative" to reduce unemployment among veterans.

"We've got some numbers that are better than the national average, but again one veteran who doesn't have a job and wants one is too many," Murray told the News Service after the event.

During the event, Murray also said there is progress in combating homelessness among the state's veterans, which dropped 26 percent during the past two years. Nationally, veteran homelessness dipped 17 percent from January 2010 to January, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

It is hard to get individuals trained in a new job if they are homeless "bopping in and out of a shelter," Murray said. "For some portion of the population, we've got to get them stable housing and support services, then you can move them out to the job side," he said. "Then there is a whole 'nother segment of the population of veterans who housing's not an issue; it is job skills and making those matches."

Some veterans said they see homelessness among their ranks every day.

Jerry LeBoeuf, veterans' service officer in Westport, said he was surprised to find homeless veterans in his quiet suburban community. Before taking the job, he thought of it as a problem in the cities, until homeless vets started showing up on his office doorstep.

Last year LeBoeuf helped a homeless veteran of the Iraq war find shelter. The 28-year-old veteran was found at a gas station by another veteran who sparked a conversation with the young man wearing camouflage. After he left the service, he had no job and nowhere to go, LeBoeuf said.

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